Machine for trimming covers of heels



Jan. 16, 1934. 1 1 Z N 1,943,413

MACHINE FOR TRIMMING COVERS OF HEELS Filed July 27 1931 Patented Jan. 16, 1934 warren NT OFFICE Lewis J. Bazzoni, Swampscott,

United Shoe Mass, assignor to Machinery Corporation, Paterson,

N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 27, i931. Serial No. 553,323

28 Claims.

This invention relates to trimming machines and is illustrated as embodied in a machine for trimming the projecting portions of covers attached to shoe parts.

The invention is exemplified with particular reference to its applicability to the trimming of covers of heels such, for example, as wood heels of womens shoes.

It is customary in covering such heels to apply a cover, which consists of a single piece of covering material commonly referred to as a side cover, to the rear and to the sides of a heel and to inturn the marginal portions of the cover upon the attaching face, the breast and the toplift receiving face of the heel. The breast of the heel is then covered with a separate piece of covering material which is adhesively secured to the breast of the heel. A Louis heel, which is attached to a shoe prior to covering the breast of the heel, has its breast covered by a cover which consists of a piece of leather split from the rear portion of the sole of the shoe to about the middle of the shank portion of the sole and attached to the shank portion of the shoe. This cover is commonly known as a heel-breast covering flap. Whether the breast of the heel is covered by a separate piece of covering material or by a heel-breast covering flap, the cover usually extends initially beyond the breast of the heel and after the cover has been ecured to the breast of the heel it is trimmed iiush with the breast edges of the heel.

As the operator trims the heel-breast covering fiaps of Louis heels, he generally continues the trimming out beyond the projecting lip of the heel in to trim the sides of the rear part of the shank portion of the sole so that the trimmed lateral edges of the sole will merge with the lateral edges of the flap and form therewith a smooth curve which is neat in appearance. This part of the trimming operation is commonly known as a jointing operation. The portion of the sole trimmed during the jointing operation referred to hugs the counter portion of the shoe upper and the trimming instrumentalities of a machine capable of successfully performing this operation must enter between the sole and the counter portion of the shoe in order effectively to sever the sole, but must not scar the counter portion of the shoe upper during this operation. Moreover, during the heel-breast-flap trimming operation and the jointing operation a shoe must be moved in a sharply curved path and at the same time must be laterally tilted to a considerable degree. In order to permit the operator rapidly and accurately to move the shoe in said path and at the same time to permit the shoe to be tilted for presenting the work to the trimming instrumentalities effectively to perform the fiat-trimming and the jointing operations, the 0 and jointing operations referred to rapidly and accurately having regard to the conditions above set forth. Thus, the illustrated machine which represents one embodiment of my invention is designed expeditiously to trim heel-breast covers of breast-covering flaps attached to and projecting beyond the breasts of heels, flush with the breast edges of the heels and also quickly and accurately to trim the shank portion of the sole of the shoe for effectively performing the jointing operation without injuring the shoe upper.

With the above object in View and in accordance with a feature of this invention, the illustrated machine is provided with a rotary cutter, which cooperates with a rotatable anvil to trim a projecting marginal portion of a cover to a shoe part, and gages constructed and arranged to engage surfaces of the shoe part which are angularly disposed with relation to each other to position the same relatively to the cutter.

In order efiectively to position shoe parts such, 0

for example, as Louis heels to which heel-breast covering flaps have been attached and beyond which the flaps project, relatively to the abovementioned cover-trimming instrumentalities of the illustrated machine and in accordance with 95 another feature of this invention, the illustrated gages above referred to have convex surfaces which are curved about axes inclined at a substantial angle to each other, each of these surfaces comprising a shoe-part-engaging portion spaced from the shoe-part-engaging portion of the other to provide between them an opening through which the cover projecting beyond the shoe part extends when these portions, the two gaging surfaces having their tangent planes at their shoe-part-engaging portions disposed nearly parallel.

In order to adjust the machine for trimming attached 35 the shoe part engages the cover attached to the shoe part flush with 2 an edge of the shoe part or for leaving a portion of the cover extending beyond that edge for turning upon an angularly-disposed face of the shoe part, the gages which are so constructed and arranged as to permit free tilting of the shoe part during the trimming operation, in accordance with another feature of this. invention, may be mounted for adjustment relatively to and lengthwise of the axis of rotation of the cutter.

For effectively feeding and trimming the projecting portion of the cover in the illustrated machine and in accordance with a further feature of this invention, the rotary cutter which cooperates with the rotary anvil may be provided with a cutting edge having a polygonal form or having a circumferentially-arranged series of notches.

These and other features of the invention will now be set forth in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 shows a front view of an illustrative machine having right and left operating heads for trimming the marginal projecting portions of covers or heel-breast covering flaps attached to heels, parts of the machine having been broken away;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the right operating head illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the left operating head taken along the line III-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of heeltrimrning and heel-positioning portions of the illustrated machine and showing a section of a shoe, the shank portion of the sole of which is being trimmed to join a breast-covering flap with the shank portion of the sole;

Figs. 5 and 6 are side views of portions of two different types of cutters which may be used effectively in the illustrated machine;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view of the cutter illustrated in Fig. 6, this section being taken along the line VII-VII ofFig. 6; and

Fig. 8 illustrates a form of anvil and gage which may be used in place of the unitary rotary anvil and gage shown in the above-illustrated machine.

The illustrated machine is described with reference to its operation upon heel-breast covering flaps of Louis heels, each of these flaps having been split from the shank. portion of the sole of a shoe and having been adhesively secured to the breast of the shoe heel. It will be understood, however, that this machine has general utility in trimming covers attached to shoe parts.

The illustrated machine comprises a rotary cutter 20, a combined anvil and gage 22 mounted for rotation about an axis 24 (Fig. l) disposed at an angle to the axis of rotation 26 of the cutter 20 and rotatable with the cutter by contact with a surface or face 27 of the combined anvil and gage 22. The combined anvil and gage 22 is also provided with a side or gage surface 28 inclined to the axis 24 and constructed and arranged to engage a side 30 of a heel 32 to the breast of which a cover or a heel-breast covering flap 34 extending beyond the breast edges 36 of the heel has been secured. A gage 38 which is positioned axially of the cutter 20 is constructed and arranged to engage the breast of the heel, the gage 38 being spaced from the combined anvil and gage 22 and forming therewith an opening 40 (Fig. 2) for receiving the projecting marginal portion 42 of the cover of the heel positioned by gaging surfaces or faces 44, 28 of the gage 38 and the combined anvil and gage 22 respectively, thereby to trim the marginal portion 42 of the cover or heel-breast covering flap flush with the breast edges 35 of the heel.

The illustrated machine comprises right and left heads A, B (Fig. 1) for trimming the left and right projecting portions respectively of heelbreast covering flaps flush with their respective breast edges. This arrangement of heads expedites the trimming operation since it enables the operator to trim projecting portions of flaps while moving the shoe in one direction and without requiring the shoe to be turned about for trimming opposite marginal projecting portions of the cover. Since the heads A, B are similar to each other except for the reversal of their parts, it will be necessary to describe but one of the heads, it being kept in mind that for each part of one head the other head has an opposed but corresponding part.

Each of the heads A, B is supported upon a standard 48 having a bearing housing 50 at its upper end. Rotatably supported in the bearing housing 50 is a shaft 52, which may be operated by a pulley 54 screwed to its rear end and which carries at its forward portion the rotary cutter 20. The rotary cutter 20 may be secured for rotation with the shaft 52 by a clamping screw 56 or by any other suitable means.

In order to cooperate with the rotary cutters 20 during the trimming of the laterally projecting portions 42 of the cover, the combined anvil and gage 22 is provided with a cylindrical extension 58 supported in a vertically disposed bearing 60 by a collar 62 which is secured to the extension 58. The surface 27 of the combined anvil and gage 22 is inclined to its axis of rotation 24 and may be adjusted into engagement with the cutter 20 through mechanism which will be described later. The heel-engaging surface 28 of the combined anvil and gage 22, which may be described as frusto-conical in form, is inclined at a steep angle to the axis of rotation 24 (Fig. 1) in order that during the major portion of the trimming operation the side of the heel will be engaged only adjacent to the breast edge of the heel, the convexity of the gaging surface 44 being such as to accommodate the sharply curved breast of a Louis heel. The combined anvil and gage 22, as illustrated, has the general form of a flat disk in order to permit the shoe to be freely tilted during the trimming operation transversely of its direction of feed past the cutter 20.

The gage 38, which engages the breast of the heel, is constructed and arranged to cooperate with the surface 28 of the combined anvil and gage 22 for positioning the heel and its covering relatively to the cutter 20 and has the general form of a frustum of a cone and is positioned at one side of the cutter. The gage 38 has a base 66 positioned adjacent to the cutter, the periphery of which base 66 extends along a cutting edge 68 of the cutter 20. A heel-engaging portion of the gage 38 has a small fiat portion '72 which serves to steady the heel and to assist the operator in locating the heel and its covering relatively to the cutter.

The cutters 20 are of sufliciently small diameter to accommodate heels, the breasts of which have small radii of curvature. The sides of the gage 33 extend slightly beyond the cutting edge 68 of the cutter to guard the shoe from the cutter, the convexity of the gage 38 being such as to enable it to be received within the sharpest concavity of the heels of shoes, the breast flaps of which are to be trimmed.

It will be noted that planes which are tangent to the heel-engaging portions of the conical gaging surfaces 44, and 28 will be substantially parallel to each other. This arrangement or" gages is especially eiiective in trimming covers attached to Louis heels since it permits the shoe to be freely tilted at an angle to the path of trimming without disturbing the effectiveness of the shoe-positioning and trimming mechanism and since it also assists the operator in performing the jointing operation by permitting the shoe to be tilted so the gage 28 readily enters between tr e shanl; portion of the shoe and the shoe upper (Fig. 4) effectively to cooperate with the cutter for trimming the sole.

Two forms of the cutter 20 are illustrated, each of these forms having been found effective in cooperating with the combined anvil and gage 22 for trimming the sole and for assisting the operator to feed, with a minimum amount of effort, the flexible projecting portions of the cover between the cutter and the surface 2'7. The cutter 78 (Figs. 3 and has a dull cutting edge and comprises non-reentrant sides 80 which operate against the surface 27. The cutter 82 illustrated Fig. 6 also has a blunt cutting edge provided with a plurality of circumierentially spaced notches 84 which expedite the feeding of the marginal portion of the cover during the feeding operation.

In order to position the combined anvil and gage 22 and the gage 38 in a desired position relatively to the cutter for trimming the heel cover flush with the breast edge of the heel, these gaging members are adjustable lengthwise of the axis of rota-lion 26 of the cutters 20 through mechanism which will now be described. The bearing which receives the cylindrical extension 58 of the combined anvil and gage 22 is provi ed with a projecting lug 86 having a dovetail por n 8? (Fig. 2) which is slidably mounted for vertical adjustment in a correspondingly shaped guideway 89 of a bracket 91 which is designed to fit into a guideway 88 of an upstanding flange 90 of the bearing housing 50. The bracket 91 is provided with a slot 92 for receiving a screw 9 carried by the flange 99 and conveniently used for adjusting the bracket 91 along the guide-way 88. It will be noted that the guideway 88 extends substantially parallel to the cutter-engaging portion of the surface 27 or the combined anvil and gage 22 in order that upon axial adjustment of the combined anvil and gage the surface 27 will be moved substantially parallel to itself. The cornbined anvil gage 22 may be vertically adjusted independently of the above adjustment by loosening a screw 95 and then sliding the lug 86 along the guideway 88. When this adustment is effected, the screws 95 may again be tightened to the lug 86 to the bracket 91.

The 38 may be adjusted axially of the cutter by a stud 96 which is in threaded engagement nibie 98 constructed and arranged to arin lot) of the gage 38 and carried by depending slide 102 guided in the machine raine. The end of the stud 96 may be forced arm to cause the gage 38 to remain in operating position or may be released iron engagement with the arm 100 to permit adjust-men of the gage 38 axially of the cutter.

ab The gage 38 may be conveniently positioned in at rigi t angles to the axis of rotation 25 of the utter 20 by a screw 104 carried by the depending slide l02 and passing through a slot 106 in the machine frame. By tightening screw 10%, the slide 182 may be clamped to the machine rarne and by releasing the screw 104 the slide 102 may be moved at right angles to the axis of rotation of the cutter for positioning the gage 38 at one side of the cutter.

It will be clear that the axial adjustment of the combined anvil and gage 22 and the gage 38 controls the amount of material trimmed from the projecting margin of the cover. It is sometimes desirable to leave a projecting marginal portion of the cover extending beyond the heel edge after the trimming operation in order to turn the portion upon an angularly disposed surface of the heel. When the machine is adjusted for this type of trimming the combined anvil and gage 22 and the gage 38 are adjusted axially of and away from the cutter in order to position the shoe farther vway from the cutter during the trimming operation.

While the combined anvil and gage 22 has been illustrated as made from a single piece of material, the anvil and gage may comprise two members such as illustrated in Fig. 8. In this figure an anvil 108 is rotatably supported by a cylindrical extension 110 similar to the cylindrical extension 58 already described and a gage 112 is illustrated as resting against the top surface of the anvil although it may be slightly separated from the anvil without changing the operation of the machine. The gage 112 may or may not mounted for rotation with the anvil 168 deupon whether or not a screw 113 carried by the gage 112 engages the extension 110.

To perform the heel-breast-fiap trimming operation, the operator starts the trimming cut at the top-lift attaching face the heel and progrosses toward the top of the heel as illustrated in Fig. 8, the operator as he leaves the lip portion 116 of the heel continuing the trimming cut to trim the sole of the shoe at its rear shank portion in order that the marginal edge of the flap mer e into the side of the sole of the shoe. The projecting margin on the left side of the heel is trimmed on the right head (Fig. 1), and projecting margin on the right of the heel is trimmed on the left head. The machine is so designed that he shoe may be moved past the as as the operator can feed the same and may be freely tilted in order effectively to present the shoe to the operating parts of the without any interference.

c in as new and desire to secure by Letters Patthe United States is:

A machine of the class described having, in combination, members having convex surfaces curved about axes inclined at a substantial angle to each other, said surfaces of the members con1- prising portions constructed and arranged to engage suriaces of a shoe part to which a cover is ttached and beyond which the cover projects, said members being spaced from each other to provide an opening through which the cover projecting beyond the shoe part extends when the shoe part engages said surfaces, the two said gaging surfaces having their tangent planes at prising portions constructed and arranged to engage surfaces of a shoe part to which a cover is attached and beyond which the cover projects, said members being spaced from each other to provide an opening through which the cover projecting beyond the shoe part extends when the shoe part engages said surfaces, the two said gaging surfaces having their tangent planes at their shoe engaging portions extending nearly parallel to each other, a cutting block constructed and arranged to support the projecting portion of the cover, and a cutter mounted for engagement with the cutting block and constructed and arranged to trim the portion of the cover of the heel positioned by said members and extending through said opening.

3. A machine of the class described having, in combination, members having convex surfaces curved about axes inclined at a substantial angle to each other, said surfaces of the members comprising portions constructed and arranged to engage angularly-disposed surfaces of a shoe part to which a cover is attached and beyond which the cover extends, said members being spaced from each other to provide an opening through which the cover projecting beyond the shoe part extends when the shoe part engages said surfaces, the two said gaging surfaces having their tangent planes at their shoe engaging portions extending nearly parallel to each other, a cutting block constructed and arranged to support the projecting portion of the cover, and a rotary cutter mounted for engagement with the cutting block to trim the portion of the cover of the heel positioned by said members and extending through said opening.

4. A machine of the class described having, in combination, members having conical surfaces the axes of which are inclined at a substantial angle to each other, said surfaces of the members comprising portions constructed and arranged to engage angularly-disposed surfaces of a shoe part to which a cover is attached and beyond which the cover projects, said membe's being spaced to provide an opening through which the cover projecting beyond the shoe part extends when the shoe part engages said surfaces adjacent to the opening, the two said gaging surfaces having their tangent planes at their shoe engaging portions extending nearly parallel to each other, a cutting block constructed and arranged to support the projecting portion or" the cover, and a cutter mounted for engagement with the cutting block and constructed and arranged to trim the projecting portion of the cover of the heel positioned by said members and extending through said openin 5. A machine of the class described having, in combination, members one of which is rotatably mounted having conical surfaces the axes of which are inclined at a substantial angle to each othe', said surfaces of the members comprising portions constructed and a ranged to engage surfaces of a shoe part to which a cover is attached and beyond which the cover projects, said members being spaced to provide an opening through which the cover projecting beyond the shoe part extends when the shoe part engages portions of said surfaces adjacent to the opening, the two said gaging surfaces having their tangent planes at their shoe engaging portions extendin nearly parallel to each other and a rotatable cutter mounted for engagement with said rotatable member and constructed and arranged to trim the cover extending through said opening.

6. A machine of the class described having,

in combination, members having convex surfaces curved about axes inclined at substantially right angles to each other, said surfaces comprising portions constructed and arranged to engage a side and the breast of a heel to the breast of which a cover is attached and beyond the breast edges f which the cover projects, said members being spaced from each other to provide an opening through which the cover projecting beyond the breast edges extends when the heel engages said surfaces adjacent to the opening, the two said gaging surfaces having their tangent planes at their shoe engaging portions extending nearly parallel to each other and a rotary cutter mounted for engagement with one of said members and constructed and arranged to trim the cover extending through said openin 7. A machine of the class described having, in combination, members one of which is rotatably mounted having convex surfaces curved about axes inclined at substantially right angles to each other, said surfaces comprising portions constructed and arranged to engage a side and the breast of a heel to the breast of which a cover is attached and beyond the breast edges of which the cover projects, said members being spaced from each other to provide an opening through which the cover projecting beyond the breast edges extends when the heel engages said surfaces, the two said gaging surfaces having their tangent planes at their shoe engaging portions extending nearly parallel to each other, and a rotary disk cutter having a cutting edge provided with a series of circumferentially spaced notches for engaging a surface of the rotatable member and constructed and arranged to trim the cover extending through said opening.

8. A machine for operating upon shoe parts having, in combination, members constructed and arranged to engage angularly disposed surfaces of a heel spaced from each other to provide an opening for receiving a cover attached to and projecting beyond one of the surfaces of the heel engaged by said members, and a rotary cutter positioned adjacent to said opening and constructed and arranged to engage a surface of one of said members and to cooperate therewith to trim the projecting portion of the cover flush with an edge of the heel as the heel guided by said members is moved past the cutter.

9. In a trimming machine, a cutter, an anvil, and gages constructed and arranged to engage angularly disposed faces of a heel to one of which faces is attached a heel cover having a marginal portion projecting beyond that face and to guide the heel past the cutter and the anvil, said anvil being mounted for movement in the general line of feed of the heel past the anvil and having a face shaped and arranged to cooperate with the cutter in trimming the projecting marginal porof the cover.

is. A trimming machine having, in combination, a rotatable anvil constructed and arranged to support a projecting marginal portion of a cover of a shoe part, a rotary cutter constructed and arranged to trim said projecting marginal portion supported upon the anvil, said anvil also being constructed and arranged to facilitate the feeding of said portion past the cutter, and gages constructed and arranged to en age angularly disposed surfaces of the shoe part to position the same relatively to the cutter and to the anvil.

11. A trimming machine having, in combination, an anvil, a rotary cutter constructed and arranged to trim a projecting marginal portion of a cover of a shoe part, said anvil being rotatable upon operation of the cutter and having a surface constructed and arranged to support said portion of the cover against pressure of the cutter to fac tate the feeding of said portion past the cutter, and gages constructed and arranged to engage the shoe part to position the same relatively to cutter and to the anvil.

12. A t 'ng machine having, in combination, a rotary cutter, a rotatable anvil having its axis of rotation disposed at a substantial angle to the axis of rotation of the rotary cutter and constructed and arranged to support a projecting marginal portion of a cover of a heel against the action of the cutter as the cutter trims said marginal portion, and gages constructed and ar ranged to engage singularly-disposed surfaces of the heel to position the same relatively to the cut-- ter.

13. A trimming machine having, in combination, a rotary cutter, a rotatable anvil having its axis of rotation disposed at substantially a right angle to the axis of rotation of the cutter and constructed and arranged to engage the cutter for trimming the projecting marginal portion of a heel breast covering flap attached to the breast of a heel and projecting beyond the breast edges of the heel, and gages constructed and arranged to engage a side and the breast of a heel to position the same relatively to the cutter for trirnming the projecting portion of the cover flush with the breast edges.

14. A trimming mac ine having, in combination, a rotary disk cutter, a gage positioned at one side of and extending along the cutting edge of said cutter, and a rotatably mounted combined gage and anvil constr oted and arranged to engage the cutting edge of the cuter and spaced from the gage to form an opening through which extends a cover attached to and extending beyond the heel, the breast and side of which are engaged by the age and the combined gage and anvil respectively, in order to position the cover to trim the same flush with an edge of the heel as the heel which is guided by the gage and the combined gage and anvil is moved past the cutter.

15. A trimming machine having, in combination, a rotary cutter having a blunt cutting edge provided with circumferentially arranged notches, a combined gage and anvil mounted for rotation about an axis disposed an angle to the axis of rotation of the cutter and rotatable with the cutter by contact with one of its surfaces with the cutter, said combine-cl gage and anvil being provided with a side surface inclined to the axis of the combined gage and anvil and constructed and arranged to engage a side of a heel to the breast of which a cover extending beyond the breast edges of the heei has been attached, and a gage having a surface positioned adjacent to the cutting e V of the c" tter and spaced therefrom axialiy or the cutter constructed and arrangted to engage the breast of a heel, said gage being spaced frorthe said combined gage and anvil and forming therewith an opening for r eiving the cover of a heel positioned by the gaging surfaces of the gage and the combined gage and anvil to trim the cover flush with the breast edges of the heel as the heel guided by said gaging si faces is moved past the cutter.

16. A trimming machine having, in combination, a cutter the cutting edge of which is blunt and of polygonal form, a combined gage and anvil having the general form of a flat disk arranged to engage the cutting edge of the cutter and to rotate therewith, said combined gage and anvil having sides of the form of a frustum of a cone, another gage having the general form of a frustum of a cone and having a base of substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the cutter and positioned adjacent to the cutter and spaced irn the of the combined gage and anvil to form therewith opening for receiving a portion of a heel-breast-covcring flap secured to the breast of a h el extending beyond said )2 el when the the breast of the heel are aged by the side of the combined gage and and the gage respectively, and means-to op ate the cut er thereby to trim the portion 3 ti beyond the heel flush with heel as the heel is moved 1'7. A trimming machine having, in combination, a rotary disk cutter, a gage positioned adjacent to and arranged axially of the cutter and extending along the cutting edge of the cutter, a combined gage anvil mounted for rotation and constructed and er ranged to engage th cutting edge of the cutter, said combined gage and anvil having a side which is inclined toward the axis of rotation of the anvil and is constructed and arranged to engage the side of a heel adjacent to the breast edge thereof when the breast of the heel is in engagement with said gage, the combined gage and anvil being positioned adjacent to but spaced from said gage to provide an opening through which the breastcovering flap attached to the breast of the heel may enter, and means to operate the cutter thereby to trim the breast flap flush with the breast edge as the heel is moved past the cutter.

18. A trimming machine having, in combination, a rotary cutter, a rotatable anvil constructed and arranged to support a projecting marginal portion of a cover attached to a heel, said cutter being constructed and arranged to trim said projecting portion of the cover, and means constructed and arranged to engage angularly isposed surfaces of the heel to position the s me relatively to the cutter during the cover trimming operation, said anvil and said heel-positioning means being adjustable lengthwise of the axis of rotation of the cutter to vary the width of the portion or" the cover left projecting beyond the heel after the cover has been trimmed.

19. A trimming machine having, in combination, frusto-conical shaped gages the axes of which are inclined at substantial angles to each other and having the bases positioned adjacent to but spaced from each other in order to leave an opening therebetween, and a straight sided knife constructed and arranged to engage one of the gages, said gages being constructed and arranged to position a heel to which a breast flap has ben secured and beyond which the flap extends relatively to the knife and to permit the extending portion to pass through said opening and between the knife and the gage which the knife engages to trim the breast covering flap flush with the breast edge of the heel and to guide it past the knife.

20. A trimming machine having, in combination, a rotary disk cutter, a gage positioned at one side of and extending along the cutting edge of said cutter, a rotatably mounted combined gage and anvil constructed and arranged to engage the cuttin edge of the cutter and spaced from the gage to form an opening through which extends a cover attached to and extending beyond peripheral portions of their wise of the axis of rotation of the cutter to vary a heel, the breast and a side of which are engaged by the gage and the combined gage and anvil respectively, in order to position the cover relatively to the cutter, and means for operating the cutter to trim the cover flush with an edge of the heel as the heel is moved past the cutter, said gage and said combined gage and anvil being mounted for adjustment axially of the cutter in order to vary the width of the cover left projecting beyond said edge of the heel after the trimming operation.

21. A trimming machine having, in combination, a rotary cutter, a rotatable anvil supported by the cutter and having a convexly shaped surface, a gage positioned adjacent to but spaced from said surface, said surface and said gage being constructed and arranged to engage a side and the breast of a heel respectively to position the heel and its breast covering flap attached thereto and extending therefrom relatively to the cutter, and means for operating the cutter to trim the cover projecting beyond the heel, said gage and said anvil being mounted for movement lengthwise of the axis of rotation of the cutter to vary the amount of material trimmed from the projecting marginal portion of the cover.

22. A machine for operating upon shoe parts having, in combination, conveXly shaped members constructed and arranged to engage angularly disposed surfaces of a heel and spaced from each other to form an opening to permit the insertion of a cover attached to and projecting beyond the heel, and a rotary cutter positioned adjacent to said opening and constructed and arranged to engage a surface of one of said members to trim the projecting portion of the cover as the heel guided by said members is moved past the cutter, said members and said cutter being mounted for relative adjustment lengththe Width of the cover projecting beyond the heel after the trimming operation.

23. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a rotatable anvil constructed and arranged to support a piece of flexible material to be trimmed, and a rotary cutter having a plurality ofstraight sides constructed and arranged to cooperate with the anvil to trim said material by a cut having a variable speed of penetration.

24. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a rotary cutter including a blunt cutting edge having a series of circumferentially spaced notches, and a rotatably mounted anvil constructed and arranged to engage said cutting edge of the cutter and rotatable by engagement therewith, said anvil and said cutter being constructed and arranged to feed a piece of flexible material between the cutter and the anvil and to trim the material as the same is fed between these members.

25. A trimming machine having, in combination, a rotary cutter, an anvil mounted for rotation about an axis inclined to the axis of rotation of the cutter, said anvil having a surface inclined to its axis of rotation and constructed and arranged to engage the cutting edge of the cutter, and means including said anvil for positioning a heel having a cover attached thereto and projecting beyond said heel relatively to said outter thereby to present the projecting portion of the cover to the cutter, said anvil and said cutter being mounted for relative adjustment to cause the cutter to engage said surface at different distances from the axis of rotation of the anvil and thus to vary the width of the cover projecting beyond the heel after the trimming operation.

26. A trimming machine having, in combination, a rotary disk cutter, a rotary anvil constructed and arranged to engage the cutting edge of the cutter, a gage positioned at one side of the cutter and near the peripheral cutting edge of the cutter, another gage located at substantially the same position peripherally of the cutter as the first-named gage and overlapping the cutter axially thereof, said gages being constructed and arranged to position a heel having a cover attached thereto and projecting therefrom relatively to the cutter and the anvil, and means for operating the cutter to trim the projecting portions of the cover.

27. A trimming machine having, in combination, a rotary disk cutter, a rotary anvil constructed and arranged to engage the cutting edge of the cutter, a gage having a surface which is sharply curved circumferentially of the cutter and is positioned at one side of the cutter and near the peripheral cutting edge of the cutter, a second gage having a surface slightly inclined to the axis of rotation of the cutter and located at substantially the same position peripherally of the cutter as the first-named gage and overlapping the cutter axially of the same, said gages being constructed and arranged to position a heel having a cover attached thereto and projecting there from relatively to the cutter and the anvil, and means for operating the cutter to trim the projecting portion of the cover.

28. A trimming machine having, in combination, members constructed and arranged respectively to engage and position the breast and a side of a heel and spaced from each other to provide an opening shaped to receive a projecting portion of a cover attached to the breast of the heel positioned by said members, and a rotary cutter, one of said members comprising a face shaped and arranged to serve as a cutting block against which the cutter operates to trim the cover flush with a breast edge of the heel.

LEWIS J. BAZZONI. 

